I was cleaning out some stuff and rediscovered my 5 gallon aquarium. I initially intended to have this be a shrimp tank when I got it 5 years ago.

I'm hoping to do so again, but I'm taking a different approach as I wasn't terribly successful last time.

Here it is fresh out of my car and on my desk.

I started soaking the wood right away. Since I don't have a large enough pot to actually boil them in, I just poured scalding hot water from the kettle. That should sanitize any critters that shouldn't have survived.

I'm not doing this as part of the cycling just yet. I'm just getting things cleaned up, and hoping that the 5 year drying of the driftwood isn't going to keep them from sinking.

The next bit was to clean up the outside of the aquarium. I saw the King of DIY recommended Fritz Aquatics Aquarium Glass and Acrylic Cleaner (Amazon affiliate). It certainly did the trick. Take a look:

All I did was use the usual sponge for the inside, and used the Fritz cleaner on the exterior. That glass is crystal clear now.

Also, the spider wood (Amazon affiliate) is finally starting to sink a bit. It only took 5 days. If the wood doesn't sink all the way, I won't be terribly disappointed. It still has a natural appeal to it.

Side note when buying spider wood: It's a light color when dry but turns darker when wet.

I haven't been able to check to stop by the local fish store yet. What they have will almost certainly dictate what I get. It'll probably be the new home for some suitably sized school of fish or a betta, and some freshwater shrimp. This aquarium needs a good deal more setup yet, and I'll let you all know all the bits as I go along.